Standard Power is to work with NuScale Power Corporation and ENTRA1 Energy to develop two small modular reactor (SMR)-powered facilities, which will supply 2 gigawatts of clean energy to nearby data centers.
NuScale will provide its approved SMR Technology for the projects, which will be located in Ohio and Pennsylvania. According to NuScale, its SMR technology is currently the only one to receive design approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. SMRs may generate affordable, safe nuclear energy without the cost and size limitations associated with larger nuclear plants. ENTRA1 Energy, a partner of NuScale as of 2022, will support the new projects by further developing the SMR technology and integrating the modules into the new sites.
Using clean energy to power data centers will contribute to decarbonizing the typically emissions-heavy buildings.
“We see a lot of legacy baseload grid capacity going offline with a lack of new sustainable baseload generation options on the market especially as power demand for artificial intelligence-computing and data centers is growing," said Maxim Serezhin, founder and CEO of Standard Power. "We look forward to working with ENTRA1 and NuScale to deploy NuScale’s proven SMR technology to deliver carbon-free, baseload energy to address this large gap in the generation market."
According to the Department of Energy, SMRs represent the future of nuclear energy. As the world works to meet net-zero emissions by 2050, nuclear energy will reportedly need to double, and SMRs and other nuclear technologies could help in reaching this target.
SMRs are factory-made and shipped to sites, making them considerably less expensive and quicker to build than larger nuclear plants. Because of their comparatively smaller size to nuclear plants, they may be used to meet a wide variety of needs, including power generation, district heating, desalination, and commercial-scale hydrogen production. Some companies have explored the use of SMRs to decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors, such as maritime shipping.
Nuscale will provide 24 units of 77-megawatt electric SMR modules to provide 1,848 MWe of clean energy for the new Standard Power sites.
"By bringing together ENTRA1’s superior strengths in project development and investment with NuScale’s proven SMR technology, consumers can reduce their emissions footprint and help meet decarbonization goals while delivering the reliable 24/7 service to energy consumers,” said Serezhin.
